Late effects on the skin
The skin is the organ that is most often damaged during radiation therapy. With the exception of “irradiation from within” (so-called brachytherapy), which is possible in some cancers, the radiation must penetrate the skin and damage can almost never be completely avoided. In addition to the often early skin irritations, which can occur like sunburn, late effects on the skin are possible after irradiation.
Rather harmless and only cosmetically relevant are discoloration or a dark discoloration of the skin areas in the radiation field. In many people, the skin also appears prematurely aged, i.e. it loses elasticity and is drier. The dilation of the smallest blood vessels in the skin (capillaries) can cause spidery red skin spots, which are called telangiectasias.
Do you observe pigment changes in your skin? Paradoxically, these processes of premature skin aging as a late consequence of irradiation increase the risk of developing skin cancer. If skin changes occur even years after irradiation, they should be demonstrated to your family doctor or, if necessary, to a dermatologist (dermatologist) at an early stage to be on the safe side.
In the case of irradiated skin, one should also pay increased attention to adequate sun protection throughout life. Would you like to know how to detect skin cancer?
- These are the symptoms of skin cancer
Late effects after radiation therapy after breast cancer
Nowadays, it is usually possible to treat breast cancer in a very targeted manner and to spare nearby organs. In addition to the usually unavoidable slight damage to the skin, all organs located in the chest can suffer late effects. In general, the cells are particularly at risk, which frequently renew and divide.
The mucous membrane of the oesophagus is particularly at risk. Typical are early consequences that can lead to pain, nausea and loss of appetite. However, late effects such as painful changes are also unlikely after radiation therapy for breast cancer, but cannot be ruled out.
The lungs and heart are also usually located near the radiation field.For the reasons mentioned above, the heart in particular is not very susceptible to radiation damage. Nevertheless, late effects have been described in individual cases after radiation in breast cancer. As a late consequence of irradiation after breast cancer, the heart can be affected by a cardiac arrhythmia caused by small scars in the heart muscle, for example. The lungs can develop scarred changes, resulting in increased breathlessness and thus a reduced ability to cope with stress.
